Here's how Indians plan to satiate their wanderlust in the coming year
Another year has gone by and yet again millennials are busy setting travel goals for 2017. While some are hoping to go on their first trip without family, there are many who are setting solo travel goals that some that only few of us can imagine in the years to come. Then there are many who are researching and travelling to places with a crashing economy.
An all-girls trip, a solo trip and that plan where school friends plan that inevitable Goa trip that never really is going to happen but are still on the bucket list of every traveller. Mumbai-based video producer and avid traveller Carlton D’silva is planning a trip with his two other friends to Iceland to shoot a short film and see the Northern Lights in Norway. The Aurora Borealis, commonly called the Northern Lights, have become a popular tourist attraction after photographs of the visual phenomenon went viral this year all over social media. Another Mumbai-based Digital Marketing professional Alifiya Joel, on the other hand is looking to trek through Norway as it has always been her “dream trek”. The 26-year-old frequent trekker who visited Hong Kong, Himachal and Maldives in 2016 tries to do at least does three trips; not the expensive kind but more of trekking, she tells us. Talking about travel plans for 2017, she says, “I haven’t planned anything yet as it is too early but since there are many long weekends this year, there will be many impromptu trips that will happen for me.”
Greece and Turkey due to their crashing economies are also on many travellers lists this year. Both the countries are seeing a drastic decrease in the number of people visiting the country on holiday and so many smart travellers are taking an advantage and stepping out to visit the picturesque countries.
Trying to travel cheap is always a task and getting the cheapest deals is always an icing on the cake for many travellers. 24-year-old Publicist Shweta Ramesh, who recently returned from Thailand said she is really looking forward to go to Vietnam in 2017. “Since saving up is always a task, I plan to travel to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in May as the currency exchange rate is higher which makes it really cheap for us Indians to travel there.” Shweta highlights that one Indian rupee is 335 Vietnamese Dong which is why many Indians are looking to travel to the Southeast Asian country. The PR professional says she is looking forward to visit Halong Bay for the serenity and the cruise around it has been on her bucket-list for a long time now. A visit to Siem Reap, Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia and Luang Namtha in Laos are places she really hopes to visit on the trips. The ambitious traveller also plans to visit Sri Lanka and Greece, as the latter currently seems to be a boon for budget travellers.
While international trips need to be well planned, local trips are more like weekender trips that are within a few hours of Mumbai. Digital Executive, Purva Sawant, 26, is looking to travel local as she wants to explore places within Maharashtra, mostly the Konkan region and Ajanta Ellora caves and unexplored places like Tadoba, most popular for its tiger reserve. She wants to primarily explore the local food of the place.
While people are travelling to experience new cultures, 23-year-old Shalaka Shinde hailing from Pune is looking to get a kick out of travel and living in an unknown place that is hardly explored. The Delhi-based journalist is heading to Srinagar soon to explore opportunities there.
Millennials are looking to explore a lot more this year. More international than local but the north east Indian states, Bali and Thailand are among other popular destinations that young adults are looking to travel to in 2017.
